AN EQUAL-ORDER VELOCITY-PRESSURE ALGORITHM FOR INCOMPRESSIBLE THERMAL-FLOWS .2. VALIDATION

The finite-element algorithm for the solution of two- and three-dimens ional incompressible laminar thermal flaws described in Part 1 of the article is validated by detailed computational experiments carried out for three typical benchmark problems: flow in lid-driven cavities, na tural convection in heated cavities, and stratified flow over backward -facing steps. The numerical simulations concern different values of R eynolds or Rayleigh numbers. Both two- and three-dimensional simulatio ns are carried out for each problem. The results, obtained without emp loying any upwinding techniques, compare very satisfactorily with the available literature data, thus confirming, in all cases, the reliabil ity of the procedure. Moreover, in spite of the use of equal-order ele ments for velocity and pressure approximations, the calculated pressur e fields never show any sign of checker-boarding.